Guide: Xbox Controller to USB Adapter

Xbox Controller to USB Adapter
By RObErT_RaTh
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for any damages caused to property or injuries to yourself or others through performing this mod. You attempt it at your own risk.
Now that’s out of the way lets get to it. I’ve seen this guide done a lot but I thought I would still go and write my own guide for it to help out others because some of the others guides I have seen haven’t been to detailed so I will try and make this one easy to follow and keep the guess work to a minimum. Also, this guide WILL NOT allow you to use your controller on your Xbox AND your PC with the same adapter. I don’t have an Xbox and I think it looks messy with the double connector so I didn’t worry about it. If you wish to use your controller on your Xbox you will need another quick release adapter to simply use instead of the USB one we are going to make.
Let’s have a look and see what you will need to perform this mod:
-An Xbox controller of your choice
-A standard USB A Male to Female extension lead
-Small flat head screwdriver
-Electrical Tape
-Scissors
-Heat shrink
-Lighter or Hair Dryer or Heat Gun for the heat shrink
-Wire Cutters
-Wire Strippers
-Soldering Iron and Solder
-Multimeter or Continuity Tester
Now this is supposed to be a cheap/free mod to perform as most people already have all of the above items but if you don’t then it MAY be cheaper to just go and buy your own adapter.
Step 1:
To start with we need to get our trusty Xbox controller and detach the little adapter it has on the end of it. This is what we will be using to make the Xbox to USB adapter. If you don’t feel like hacking up your adapter you can probably by another one or buy a controller extension lead to use instead. These can usually be had for about $5-$15 depending where you shop. My local Game Mania sells them for $7. If you have chosen to use the original Xbox adapter that came with your controller then we are going to need to crack it open to see which wires go where. Start by using the small flat head screwdriver to pry open the sides. It might take a little effort so try not to hack up your connector too much. Once you have done this you can also slide off the clear plastic part of the connector so now we are just left with the metal part. If you chose to use a controller extension lead then just cut off the Female end (the end which plugs directly into the Xbox controller) and use that instead of the original adapter and skip straight to Step 3 and preparing the wires.
Step 2:
Next you will see a small little metal cover that can be un-clamped and taken off to expose the wiring on the connector underneath. Now with a proper genuine Microsoft Xbox controller the wires will conform to a certain colour standard. From left to right with the connector pointing up they should be Red (+ve), White (Data-), Green (Data+), Yellow (Used for light guns I think), and Black (GND). Since I have a generic style controller my colours are different. From left to right they are Red (+ve), Yellow (Data-), Green (Data+), White (Light guns again), Blue (GND). If I had just cut the connector off and soldered the wires corresponding to their colours I could have had huge problems. Take note of the colour of your wires and where they are located so that you won’t get confused when it comes time to connect them to the USB connector. Use the following picture to determine what your wires are.
Step 3:
Once you have verified which of your wires go where you can detach the connector as you see fit. You can either choose to un-solder it or just simply cut it off as we don’t need it anymore. Now you need to take your wire strippers and remove some of the outer insulation from the cable. Be careful not to cut the wires inside. Take off the insulation and peel back the protective foil to expose the wires. You should see some foil, 5 shielded wires and some bare wire. Now for this mod we only need the +ve, Data-, Data+, and GND wires. The light gun wire is not needed and won’t make any difference nor will the bare wire. Separate the wires we need, in my case the Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue ones and cut off everything else. Strip a couple mm’s off of the ends of the wires you are using and then twist them in your fingers. Once you’ve done this you should then tin them to help when we solder them together. Cut off any excess wire so they are all only a couple mm’s long like in the picture. I had to be careful with my wires because they also had some other fibre inside them as well as the copper multicore and this can make soldering them difficult so if your wires have this stuff in them as well then separate it from the copper and cut it off before you tin them.
Step 4:
Now that we have prepared the Xbox adapter we need to do the same for the USB connector. Get your standard USB extension lead and cut off the Male end with enough cable attached to it to easily work with. The Male end is the one that plugs into your computer. Don’t cut the connector off too short in case you make a mistake, it’s better to have it longer in case something goes wrong. Now remove the outer insulation again and expose the inner wires. You should only see 4 shielded wires this time, some foil and some bare wire. The 4 shielded wires should be Red (+ve), White (Data-), Green (Data+), and Black (GND). Once again cut off the foil and the un-used bare wire. Also strip and prepare the wires like you did with the Xbox adapter so they are all ready for soldering. You should have the +ve, Data-, Data+, and GND for each cable tinned and ready to be soldered together. If the USB cable wires are not Red, White, Green, and Black then you will need to find out which wires correspond to which function. Use the following picture and a Multimeter or Continuity to tester to see which wires connect to which part of the USB Male connector.
Step 5:
Now using your very talented soldering skills, connect the corresponding wires together (+ve to +ve, Data- to Data- etc) and use some form of insulation on each set of wires whether it be a small bit of electrical tape or some heat shrink. Then once all the wires are soldered together and shielded, tape them all up tight and put some heat shrink over the top to keep it tidy and help stop the joint from easily being bent and flexed. Congratulations your mod should be complete but before we plug the controller into the computer we want to check that we have all the corrections right. Use a multimeter or another continuity tester to check that you have the corresponding connections shown in the picture. If all the connections line up properly and you don’t have any shorts then we can continue with the installation of the controller and its drivers.
Step 6:
Thanks to redcl0ud at http://www.redcl0ud.com/ there are some awesome drivers out there for all your Xbox controller needs called XBCD and you can download them from here. I am currently using the v1.07 drivers. Simply download the installer and run it then plug in your controller and wait for the new hardware wizard to show itself. Don’t let it connect to the net but make it look for the drivers. It should install no worries. Go to Control Panel > Game Controllers and Properties of the newly installed controller and test it out. If something doesn’t work then check your wiring and make sure there isn’t either a loose connection or a wrongly connected wire ie +ve to Data- or something. If everything seems to work fine then load up your favourite game, configure the controls and away you go.
Conclusion:
I personally really like this mod because it is hard to find cheap, decent controllers for PC and this mod can literally be done for nothing if you already have all the parts like I did. I also have a TV in my room but it’s behind me when I am facing the computer so normally I can’t play games on it. This controller allows me to now play games on the big screen which I love. The bad thing about this mod is you can no longer use your controller on your Xbox unless you have another adapter. I hope everyone finds this guide helpful and easy to follow.

To fix digital triger problem open up xmbd contronal panel and slect rt than change it to axis z then click done then click lt and Chang that to axis z rotation do NOT SLECT SLIDER IT WILL CRASH WINDOWS!!!!!!!!!! That fixed the triggers for me!!!

I didn’t worry about it. If you wish to use your controller on your Xbox you will need another quick release adapter to simply use instead of the USB one we are going to make.

Click to expand...

Ah if u want it to work on boath the Xbox and the pc don't
through away the Xbox conection part and soder the wires the same but three ways and soder the two orange wires togher and vola u have an Xbox and pc controler excention.

does anyone know if i could just wire up my 360 controller to an original xbox 1 controller plug and use my 360 controller on the old xbox? it seems like it might not work, but if anyone has tried and can confirm either way that would be great. or maybe someone knows enough about the controller circuitry to have an answer without making it. if i don't hear from anyone before i get ahold of my parts, i will try it myself and post my results here. the wiring is simple enough.

When the 360 came out I was really upset about not being able to use an original Xbox controller, but since I got the 360 controller in my hands I haven't looked back cause it's the greatest controller ever. Perfect size, new LT and RT buttons that feel better than the PS3 controllers L2/R2, the guide button. The only thing I wish they kept with the 360 remote that was on the Controller S was the start and back buttons on the lower left corner. That way you wouldn't have to take your hands off of the A,B,X and Y buttons and risk getting attacked by an enemy to move your finger to click the start button. The lower left corner was a different place to put it and it worked and felt the best there.

Share This Page

Welcome to Velocity Reviews!

Welcome to the Velocity Reviews, the place to come for the latest tech news and reviews.

Please join our friendly community by clicking the button below - it only takes a few seconds and is totally free. You'll be able to chat with other enthusiasts and get tech help from other members.
Sign up now!